rhkkmk

for our first visit to these cities we wish to hire a guide/driver to better understand each of these cities.

transportation essential, limited walking

thanks

adrienne

It's difficult to see some of these cities if you're not on foot. I used a guide in Krakow whom I would recommend. She has a car (SUV). I went with a friend who can only walk short distances and Marta drove us from place to place and was very accommodating. However there will be some walking. Here's her email:
[email protected]

In Wroclaw I used a guide but we walked. You can email him and ask if he has a car. He arrived on his bike but then parked it at the hotel. It was a walking tour. I found him from a NY Times article. If he can't accommodate you with a car then he will probably be able to recommend someone else.

What you can do in Wroclaw is hire a taxi and a guide separately. Mateusz's rates were reasonable. Much of what we did was around the old square but then we walked to cathedral island. My friend did not go on this tour as she was not up to the walking. His email is:
[email protected]

In Wroclaw I can recommend the Qubus Hotel which is just off the main square so easy access to restaurants and cafes and nightlife in the square (I loved the fire dancers). I believe you recently read my trip report and the hotel information is in the report.

In Warsaw you'll definitely need a driver as the sights are very spread out.

For Krakow I provided a long list of sights to see (Marta laughed at the length of my list and said she had never been given one that long!). We did not cover everything but I had the sights in order that I wanted to see them. One mistake I made in Krakow was that I did not get to see the synagogues (other than the one that is a museum) because it was Rosh Hashanah so I was disappointed about that.

I hired Marta for another full day to visit the wooden churches outside of Krakow. That was a very long day (11 hours) as they are not that close to Krakow.

I booked both guides well in advance.

Leely2

We did not use guides and have no problems walking, but if you need a quick here-to-there in Krakow you can always catch one of those little touristy golf cart taxis.

I visited Krakow and Warsaw (Warsaw just briefly) in July. I am trying to put together a brief report and will post in the next couple of weeks. But Adrienne's reports are superb.

In Krakow I considered Krazy Guides, but didn't end up taking a tour. They might be too youthful for you (sorry, not sure what you're looking for based on your OP), but they were recommended here.

http://www.crazyguides.com/

rhkkmk

thanks both of you..

Leely2

In Krakow the castle area can involve a lot of walking/standing, so I'd probably plan that part pretty well.

Highly, highly recommend the longer tour of the Collegium Maius.